Photos by Gabrielle Watkins. Click on the photos in the gallery below.
Red Devils defeat Columbus East 61-31 last Saturday, face Charlestown at home tonight
Category: Sports
JHS wrestlers use their competition to improve skills and confidence
by Isabella Stewart and May Smith
This year’s boys’ wrestling team is one of the “youngest teams” that they have had. This young team of wrestlers has not only grown throughout the first half of their season, but they have also worked hard to improve and win.
This upcoming weekend is one of the hardest weekends of their season. Varsity wrestlers travel to Evansville, followed by some of the junior varsity and varsity B teams heading to Louisville.
Junior Will Honaker has been practicing every day, preparing for this upcoming weekend. He said practicing with Coach Jeremiah Cain has benefited him the most “because he has taught me to practice harder; practicing with my teammates has allowed me to gain strength, sportsmanship, and confidence.”
Many coaches come to wrestling practice every day. Head coach Danny Struck not only been attending practices and coaching, but he has also been attending middle school meets and helping any athlete who needs it.
Varsity freshman Logan Vidt said, “Coach Struck is just an amazing coach to me. In practice, he is so helpful, and he makes us drill hard and go hard every time because he knows in time it will add up and we will be our best we can be, and I really do respect that.”
Sophomore Julian Alvarez talks about how much practice defines real-world situations that he can always overcome because “Coach Struck always tells us how wrestling is the hardest thing we do, and I believe that is true because without wrestling, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I have a tough mindset, strong skills, and great sportsmanship, and I think that all can go into defining your own character.”
Honaker said, “As much as I would like to win this weekend, I’m not just looking for a win — I’m really hoping that going against tough wrestlers will make me tougher. I think it’s all about my mentality. I believe if we really try as a team whole, we could make it this weekend.”
The boys’ wrestling team is on their climb for the gold, but every wrestler knows it’s not just about the gold and the glory, but it’s about the privilege they earn to wrestle and the people they do it with.
Vidt said, “We have our ups and downs, but the most important part of it all is that we keep our heads up and keep walking and never look back. I am so grateful to be a part of a team that pushes me past all my goals to go above and beyond.”
Pepa’s dedication to helping his athletes improve reveals the life of a swim coach
by Marcus Baker
Michael Pepa is the head coach of the boys’ and girls’ swimming and diving team, his second stint at JHS as a swim coach. For the second stint here, this is his tenth year as well.
He coached for two or three years in the early ‘90s. He has also been a swim coach for 34 years altogether, including college and high school teams on both sides of the Ohio River, as well as club, masters, and age- group teams.
His favorite aspect of coaching is that the interaction with the student-athletes is fun, and the biggest joy for him is helping other athletes reach their greatest potential, whether that’s at any level or their first year swimming, or whether they’re trying to win a state championship.
Having that student-athlete reach their potential is very rewarding, Pepa said. “Swimming is inherently motivating because you get to see your personal time drop. You see that empirical objective improvement that comes from self-motivation.”
He also said that he thinks it’s one of the joys of swimming. Regardless of what level an athlete is at, everyone’s goals are the same — trying to get a faster time.
He hopes by the end of the season that his Red Devil team is going to certainly improve. He said that his girls’ team is in a bit of a rebuild this season, while his boys’ side has a little more depth than he had in the past.
He expects his group of swimmers to train really hard and expects each one of them to get much much better position in February than they are in December.
Head dive and assistant swim coach Holden Henderson has been coaching for 10 years and has known Pepa since 2015.
Henderson said that coach Pepa always encourages the swimmers to practice like they want to compete. He tries to motivate his team so they can give it their all at practice, so it can be easier at the meets.
Henderson also helps his team out by helping them and supporting them, and wants to help out as much as he can.
Athletic director A.J. Moye met Pepa in the early summer of 2025, going to the Aquatic Center for swimming practice, and from then on, they have had a great relationship.
Moye attends swim practice three times a week to observe and help out. He said he would help the swimming team in any way he could throughout the season.
They have also been building a new place just for the swimming team, which will be an Olympic-level pool just for them.
Senior Litzy Rubio has been swimming since sixth grade and is now in her last year of swimming for JHS.
Rubio describes how she really likes his motivation, and she loves how he’s always supportive and makes her feel good. She said that his coaching style has a great blend of both strict and fun.
After she completes her final season she will miss her family on her team. Her teammates and her coach always supported her along and cheered whether she swam good or bad.
“Always cherish your team; they’re the ones who have seen you at your worst and your best, so don’t take your moments with them for granted,” said Rubio.
Freshman Christian Miller has been swimming since he was 11 years old. He made it to clubs, national states, and other more.
Miller said he likes how Pepa takes care of his swimmers and how much effort he puts into their training.
He said he helps him by breaking down his sets, which is what’s best for the swimmers. He also says his coaching style is unique and that he has a good way of coaching himself and his teammates.
Pepa encourages his student-athletes to become better swimmers and have fun during their season.
“Our goal is the same, to improve, get faster, and have fun.”
Red Devil wrestlers win inaugural Hoosier Hills Conference Girls’ Tournament on Saturday
The Jeffersonville girls’ wrestling team etched its name into the history books Saturday, powering past the competition to win the first official Hoosier Hills Conference (HHC) Wrestling Tournament.
The Red Devils finished with 217 points, comfortably ahead of runner-up Floyd Central’s 192, a 25-point margin that underscored Jeffersonville’s depth and dominance across the brackets.
Champions Lead the Charge
JHS crowned two individual champions: Fatima Carrillo (120 lbs) and Scarlett McRae (145 lbs) Both wrestlers delivered commanding performances, setting the tone for the title run as they earned all-conference honors.
Depth Secures Victory
While the champions grabbed headlines, Jeffersonville’s strength came from across the lineup.
Five wrestlers earned runner-up finishes: Abi Lemon, Valeria Ramirez, Abril Andres, Envy Diaz, and Yarely Solis, each contributing critical points to the team tally. They earned all-conference honorable mention honors.
The Red Devils also picked up podium finishes from the following athletes:
3rd Place: Levi Evans, Justise Clubb-Leon
4th Place: A’lia Griffith, Daytona Tripp
5th Place: Chloe Fischer
Coaches React
Head girls’ coach Joe Somerville praised the team’s effort and resilience throughout the day.
“This was a total team win, from our champions to the wrestlers battling for third, fourth, and fifth, every single point mattered,” he said. “Due to illness, we were without our 100-lb #1 seed Kristin Brown, so the rest of the team was determined earn every point possible. That’s what makes this group special.”
Somerville was named Girls’ Coach of the Year.
JHS defeats Floyd Central 50-47 last night in Hoosier Hills Conference victory
All photos by Malachi Conrad. Captions by Malachi Conrad and Gabrielle Watkins. Click on the photo gallery below to view images.
Moye debuts as interim coach at last night’s JHS-Borden basketball game
All photos by Magdalene Conrad and Malachi Conrad. To view photos, click on the gallery below.
Red Devils rally to defeat Providence 68-61
All photos by Malachi Conrad. Click on the photos to view the gallery below.
Column: High school athletes use social media to build on their success
by Spencer Robinson
The impact social media has on up-and-coming athletes
From being an unknown hooper to now having a combined 600,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram sounds ridiculous. That’s exactly what undersized class of 2026 guard Troy Hornbeck did in the span of a few months.
In his videos Hornbeck has a series called “Road to D1.” Here, Hornbeck posts the day in the life of someone trying to make it to the Division One level. Being at the height of 6 ‘2 Hornbeck everyday makes sure he puts himself out there for college coaches all over the world to see.
Hornbeck is a great example of why social media can change athletes’ lives for the better.
Another basketball league that’s generating major buzz all over social media is the new league located in Atlanta, Georgia called “Overtime Elite.” Overtimes’ whole goal is to boost an athlete’s rep and get them in front of the eyes of the biggest and best coaches in the world.
Overtime has accumulated 1.3 million followers on Instagram alone. Their media has set their high school athletes up for major success on the court and financially with the minimum salary being $100,000 a year. NBA players Amen and his twin brother Ausar Thompson have roots with Overtime. This is an example of how putting yourself out there can help you play at the highest level like the Thompson twins.
Also, the use of social media for young athletes teaches them core professional values.
True sport
- Social media with athletes boost a player’s name, image, and likeness.
- Athletes can keep up with the professional athletes in their respective sport and learn from the people at the highest level.
- More opportunities for coaches to easily access your highlights and learn more about you.
So, the next time you see Hornbeck’s “Road to D1” vlog or you look on Instagram and see Overtime hosting the best high school athletes in the country, know that these athletes are setting themselves up for a bigger and brighter future.
Column: Transfer portal has turned college sports into free agency
by Jaxon Sturgeon
College sports used to be about development, watching players grow through the program, build chemistry with teammates, and represent their school with pride. Now, with the rise of the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, that’s starting to change. What once felt like a unique part of college athletics is starting to look a lot more like professional free agency.
The transfer portal was originally meant to give athletes more freedom. Before it existed, players who wanted to transfer often had to sit out a year or go through a messy process. The new system made it easier and fairer for athletes to move if they weren’t happy. But when NIL money entered the picture, things took a sharp turn. Now, the best players aren’t transferring for playing time; instead, they’re transferring for the biggest paycheck.
Top programs can now essentially “buy” players by offering them huge NIL deals. Big schools with massive fan bases and booster support have the money to make these offers. Small programs, on the other hand, can’t compete financially. A player might spend two years developing at a smaller school, then leave for a powerhouse program that can offer more exposure and a better NIL deal. It’s frustrating for coaches who invest time into developing talent, only to lose that talent once the player becomes valuable.
Because of this, college recruiting has started to feel more like pro free agency. Coaches aren’t just trying to recruit high school players anymore; they’re constantly re-recruiting their own athletes, hoping they won’t jump ship. Players, too, are learning to treat college as a business, weighing offers and sponsorships like professional athletes. While that might sound fair on the surface, after all, they deserve to profit from their talent, it also strips away some of what made college sports special: loyalty, team growth, and long term development.
In the end, the combination of the transfer portal and NIL has made college sports more about money than development. While it’s great that athletes finally have more control over their careers, it’s hard not to feel like the spirit of college athletics is being lost along the way.
If things keep heading in this direction, it’s going to start feeling less like college sports and more like the pros.
Castle defeats Red Devils 66-51 on Saturday; JHS to play at Jasper and Carmel this week
All photos by Malachi Conrad.
Click on photos below to view gallery.
Fast-growing girls’ wrestling team prepares for upcoming season
by Isabella Stewart and May Smith
Girls’ wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports. This year’s wrestling season has started off with a big team, one that puts them at an advantage for the season.
The wrestling team has done a lot of advertising to recruit athletes, handing out flyers, having the wrestlers talk to their friends and getting girls interested in coming to practice at least to watch.
Girls’ head coach Joe Somerville is excited to get athletes on the mat; he wants them to “be comfortable on the mat and be the best version of themselves.”
Somerville said, “We have lost a lot of seniors, a lot of leadership, but we have so many new girls out here. We have put seven weeks into pre- seasons and I think by mid-season everyone will be in great shape.”
Junior wrestler Levi Evans agreed. “With the loss (of seniors) we have so many new girls,” she said. “There is a lot of diversity on the team, and I think that we can really do something with all the diversity this season.”
Junior wrestler Kristin Brown has put in a lot of effort during pre-season, being there at practice to show leadership. She said, “The girls have been working extremely hard, and I have been there helping girls practice in hopes we will have a great season.”
The wrestling coaches have been preparing in the off-season as well, attending clinics and coaching conferences to prepare for the season.
Head wrestling coach Danny Struck said, “I have attended six clinics myself and a couple of national tournaments, and we’re just working to be our best we can be for the wrestlers.”
A new support to the team is athletic director A.J. Moye, who has shown up to practices and been there for the team in his first season as AD.
Moye said, “I’m bringing what I’ve brought to every other team, and that’s just a lot of support. I’m just so excited. I’ve been talking with Danny a lot, and we’re both just so excited for this season ahead.”
Brown said the team appreciates Moye’s support. “I’m really happy that we have an athletic director who cares so much about the sport. I think he’s a great asset and I think we’re going to have a great season with him.”
The wrestlers are gearing up for their opener this Saturday at JHS at 9 a.m. They’re going against many teams, as they just had their first match on Wednesday. They won against Columbus East and had a loss to Jennings County.
Fast Feature: Red Devil swim season begins
by Liam Turk-Gagel and William Hudgins
The 2025-2026 swim season is something to look forward to this school year, with newcomers like freshmen Christian Miller and Dash Leonard, along with returning faces like seniors Jaga Pagva and Addi Bingham.
The season for girls began Oct. 27 and ends Feb. 7. The season for boys begins Nov. 10 and ends on Feb. 21.
Who is a boys swimmer that fans should look out for?
“Jaga (Pagva) was really good last year, and his international experience in Mongolia is going to help him excel.” – Coach Michael Pepa
Who is a girls swimmer that fans should look out for?
“I’d say either Macyn (Jackson) or Litzy (Rubio). They’ve had a lot of improvement over the years, and I think they’ll definitely be ones to look out for.” – Coach Michael Pepa
Many swimmers believe that compared to last year to this upcoming season, the team is going to be much better.
How do you think the team will do in sectionals compared to last year?
“I think we’ll get better. I think we can get second or even first at sectional; sky’s the limit.” – Junior Isaac Ramirez
“I think we’ll do even better than last year; our freshman class will fill those gaps from last year’s seniors, alongside our talented drivers. It will definitely be the season to look out for the boys’ team.” – Senior Jaga Pagva
What is some advice that you’d give to the upcoming freshmen on the team?
“What you put into it, you get out of it.” -Junior Stella Siewert
“It’s a lot of hard work and dedication, but it comes with a lot of rewards.” – Coach Michael Pepa
thehyphennews.com 